I wish to respond to the letter “Dirty secret” (May 30). The author’s father, a veteran of World War II, told his children of the horrid beating of enemies after being captured. I will not argue; I can’t say it did not happen, but I am sure it was not an everyday event.

Remember, there were more than 15 million of us; certainly not all would be perfect. Maine is a small state; think of the numbers of murderers and thieves we have each year.

For those who may believe “Dirty secret,” I suggest they read the book “Citizen Soldiers” by Steven E. Ambrose. It gives an excellent picture of the war after D-Day to Germany’s surrender in May 1945. The author has a record for gathering only perfect information; in this case, he talked with scores of German soldiers who had been captured by Americans and found our record was very good.

After the war, a group of pilots, including me, were waiting in an air base in North Carolina to be sent home. The base had a large set of German soldiers that appeared in good spirits; they certainly did not seem to be starving. They had plenty of room, including an athletic field. Every afternoon, they played a good game of soccer.

To the author of “Dirty secret,” I don’t need to be awakened, I have been awake for 82 years, and I still believe the red, white and blue are my colors.

Les McCowan,

Rangeley Plantati